The Hope Center

I am speaking at several churches in New England this week and had the opportunity to visit friends and a few special “memory spots” in Fitchburg, MA for a few days. Yesterday, I drove by this place along Ashburnham St. The building and location was not familiar to me but I caught this scene out of the corner of my eye and had to turn around and go back. The irony almost disturbed me. The Hope Center, clearly developed as a location for people to find help, had experienced what looked to me to be a recent fire - everything inside had been destroyed. The sign still remained, offering the mirage of hope, but the building was nothing more than a shell. Within that building at least, there was no hope to be found.

I wonder how many people have experienced church like this. They read the sign. During seasons of crisis and despair, they courageously venture into the building seeking and hoping for help and answers. But once inside, and sometimes even when they just peer through the fence and look through the windows ... they find nothing but an empty shell.

Please God, help our churches be the kind of genuine caring and authentic truth sharing communities that offer refuge and hope for weary hearts.

#hope #church #travel